Agency Bytes

Ep 148 – Cameron Herold, COO Alliance – Work On the Business: The COO Mindset Agencies Need Now

Featuring: Cameron Herold, COO Alliance

In episode 148, I sit down with Cameron Herold, founder of COO Alliance and one of the most recognized voices in operational leadership, to talk about the mindset shift agency owners desperately need right now: stepping into the role of CEO and building a true COO mindset inside their business.

Cameron has helped scale companies like 1-800-GOT-JUNK and advised hundreds of growth-stage businesses, and in this conversation, we unpack what it really means to work on the business instead of being trapped inside it. We talk about the operator’s lens, how founders accidentally become bottlenecks, and why operational maturity is often the difference between a lifestyle business and a scalable asset.

If you’re an agency owner who feels stretched thin, stuck in delivery, or unsure how to elevate your leadership team, this one is a masterclass in stepping up and leveling up.

Key Bytes

• The CEO’s job is vision. The COO’s job is execution. Most agency owners are trying to do both — and burning out.
• Operational discipline isn’t about bureaucracy — it’s about freeing the founder from the day-to-day.
• If you’re still the glue holding everything together, you don’t have a scalable business — you have a dependency.
• Working on the business requires intentional systems, delegation maturity, and the courage to step back.
• Strong operators build companies that can grow, sell, or run without the founder in the weeds.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome & Cameron’s Scaling Background
04:12 The Difference Between a Founder and a CEO
09:48 Why Most Agencies Don’t Truly Work “On” the Business
16:35 The COO Mindset Explained
23:10 Founders as Bottlenecks
31:42 Building Operational Discipline Without Red Tape
40:18 Hiring & Developing Strong Operators
49:03 Scaling vs. Lifestyle Businesses
57:25 Final Advice for Agency Owners

Cameron Herold is the mastermind behind the exponential growth of hundreds of companies globally. Founder of the COO Alliance and Invest In Your Leaders training. Cameron is known as the "CEO Whisperer" and is also the former COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, where he engineered the company's spectacular growth from $2 million to $106 million in revenue in just six years.

The publisher of Forbes magazine, Rich Karlgaard, stated, "Cameron Herold is the best speaker I've ever heard...he hits grand slams”. Cameron is the host of the Second In Command podcast, author of 6 bestselling books, including The Second In Command, Vivid Vision, Meetings Suck, Free PR, Double Double, and The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs.

Cameron is a top-rated international speaker and has been paid to speak in 26 countries and on all 7 continents, including Antarctica in early 2022.

Contact Cameron:
www.cooalliance.com
www.cameronherold.com
https://www.instagram.com/cameron_herold_cooalliance
https://www.facebook.com/COOAlliance/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronherold
https://www.linkedin.com/company/coo-alliance/
https://twitter.com/cooalliance
https://www.youtube.com/@CameronHerold?sub_confirmation=1
https://cooalliance.com/vivid-vision/

Ep 146 – The Cost of Replacing Humans With AI—and the Course Correction

Featuring: Dorien Morin-van Dam, More In Media

In episode 146, I’m joined by Doreen Morin-van Dam, a content strategist with more than 15 years of experience helping brands grow through smart, sustainable marketing. Doreen works with teams on how to use AI responsibly and effectively, hosts the Strategy Talks video podcast, and is known for blending emerging tech with deeply human content strategies.

We dig into what really happened when companies rushed to replace humans with AI in 2025—and why many of them quietly reversed course by Q4. Doreen shares what she’s seeing brands regret most, how “AI slop” became a real problem, and why human-led content is becoming a competitive advantage again. We also explore how agencies can use AI as a strategic partner (not a shortcut), why long-form content matters more than ever, and how organic and paid media must work together. This is a grounded, practical conversation for agency owners trying to navigate AI without losing trust, quality, or their voice.

Key Bytes
• Why replacing humans with AI backfired for many brands in 2025
• How AI slop diluted trust, performance, and differentiation
• Why humans must remain the source of truth in content strategy
• How to use AI to analyze, enhance, and scale—not replace—expertise
• Why long-form, opinionated content performs better with LLMs
• How organic social still drives testing, trust, and paid performance
• Why being different beats being “better” in crowded markets
• How agencies should rethink in-house marketing investment

Chapters
00:00 Why 2025 became the “AI correction year”
02:30 What brands got wrong when they replaced people with AI
05:45 Why agencies must treat themselves as their best client
08:55 AI avatars, ethical concerns, and consumer trust
11:30 From AI slop to human-led strategy
15:05 Humans as the source of truth in content
19:45 Why long-form content matters for AI discovery
21:20 Organic social isn’t dead—it’s misunderstood
26:25 Organic + paid: why they must work together
28:00 Rapid-fire questions and practical takeaways

Dorien Morin-van Dam is a Vermont-based content strategist with over 15 years of experience helping brands grow through smart, sustainable strategies. A Certified Social Media Manager and Agile Marketer, she also consults on AI strategy for small businesses, showing teams how to use AI in marketing responsibly and effectively. Dorien turns organic content and emerging tech into measurable results, speaks internationally, and hosts the Strategy Talks video podcast. You’ll recognize her on stage and online by her signature orange glasses, a nod to her Dutch heritage.

Check out Dorien’s website, connect on LinkedIn, or tune into the Strategy Talks podcast.

Ep 145 – Jessica Hische, Studioworks – Crafting a Creative Life on Your Own Terms

Featuring: Jessica Hische, Studioworks

In episode 145, I sit down with Jessica Hische—a world-renowned lettering artist, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most thoughtful creative voices of our generation. And full transparency: I’ve been a huge fan of Jessica’s work for a long time. Her ability to pair obsessive craft with clarity, intention, and humanity has influenced how I think about creative work for years.

This conversation goes far beyond tactics or tools. We dig into what it really means to answer a creative calling—and then protect it. Jessica shares how she’s built a career that honors her instincts, values her time, and stays deeply connected to her craft, without burning out or selling out. We talk about the choices she’s made to stay true to her creative voice, even when external pressure—clients, platforms, trends, or scale—could easily pull things off course.

We also explore the less romantic but absolutely essential side of creative freedom: boundaries, systems, pricing, and self-advocacy. Jessica opens up about how she’s learned to put structure around her work not as a constraint, but as a way to preserve joy, sustainability, and long-term creative integrity. Whether it’s choosing the right projects, saying no without guilt, or building tools that support creatives instead of exploiting them, her through-line is clear: creativity thrives when it’s respected.

For agency owners and creative leaders, this episode is a powerful reminder that building a business—or a career—on your own terms isn’t about sacrificing ambition. It’s about defining success for yourself, staying grounded in your craft, and making intentional choices that allow your work, and your life, to evolve together.

This one felt special to record—and I think it’ll resonate deeply with anyone trying to build something meaningful, creatively and personally.

Key Bytes
• Why answering a creative calling is an ongoing commitment, not a one-time decision
• How staying true to your craft doesn’t require self-sacrifice
• The role boundaries and structure play in long-term creative freedom
• Why defining success for yourself is the real creative advantage
• How creatives can grow without burning out or losing their voice

Chapters
00:00 Following a creative calling
06:40 Staying true to your craft over time
14:10 Defining success on your own terms
22:35 Boundaries, pricing, and protecting creative energy
31:20 Structure as a support, not a constraint
40:05 Evolving creatively without losing yourself
48:30 Advice for creatives building sustainable careers

Jessica Hische is a lettering artist and New York Times Best-selling author based in Oakland, California. She specializes in typographical work for logos, film, books, and other commercial applications. Her clients include Wes Anderson, The United States Postal Service, Target, Hallmark, and Penguin Books and her work has been featured again and again in design and illustration annuals both in the US and internationally. She’s been named a Print Magazine New Visual Artist (20 under 30), one of Forbes 30 under 30 in Art and Design, an ADC Young Gun, a “Person to Watch” by GD USA, and an Adweek “Creative 100”. She's also the co-founder of Studioworks, invoicing software for creatives by creatives.

Contact Jessica on their website, Threads, and Instagram, and learn about Studioworks here.

Ep 140 – Michael Janda, More Creative Academy – The Creative’s Guide to Growing Up: From Portfolio to Profits to Peace of Mind

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off!

 

Featuring: Michael Janda, More Creative Academy

In episode 140, I sit down with Michael Janda—agency founder, bestselling author, and one of the most respected voices helping creatives master the business side of creativity. Michael built and sold Riser, worked with giants like Disney and Google, and later led creative teams at Fox before dedicating his career to teaching creatives how to price, position, and run their businesses without burning out.

We dig into the mental and operational “growing up” that every creative eventually faces: getting past portfolio thinking, charging confidently, understanding value, eliminating chaos, and building a more peaceful (and profitable) creative life. Michael’s straight-talk wisdom hits every agency owner exactly where they need it—no fluff, no ego, just clarity.

Key Bytes
• Why creatives struggle with pricing — and how to fix it
• The mindset shift from freelancer to business owner
• How Michael positioned his agency to win massive clients
• The surprising relationship between process, profit, and peace
• What creatives get wrong about value
• Why “portfolio thinking” holds owners back
• How to build a business that supports your life, not the other way around

Chapters
00:01 Welcome + Michael’s background and agency journey
04:12 From creative chaos to building processes that scale
09:45 Why pricing is emotional—and how to make it objective
14:30 Portfolio vs. business owner mindset
19:58 Finding ideal clients and positioning that works
25:21 How Michael sold his agency and what he learned
31:44 The psychology of creative profitability
38:10 Achieving peace of mind as an owner
44:22 Michael’s advice for creatives who feel “stuck”

Michael Janda is an award-winning creative director, agency founder, and bestselling author.

He built the creative agency Riser with clients like Disney, Google, Warner Bros., and ABC, then sold the business after 13 successful years. Before that, he served as a creative director at Fox. Michael

is the author of Burn Your Portfolio and The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing. Today, he shares practical, no-fluff strategies to help creative professionals master business, pricing, and growth.

Connect with Michael through his Community, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Website, or explore his Courses.

Ep 139 – Melanie Chandruang, We Consult – Agency Ops that Actually Scale: Financials, Workflows, and AI That Works

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off!

Featuring: Melanie Chandruang, We Consult

In episode 139, I sit down with Melanie Chandruang, founder of WeConsult and a strategic operations partner for creative agencies. Melanie has spent the last seven years helping agencies tighten up their financials, streamline workflows, and build stronger leadership teams—while also navigating two maternity leaves, a cross-country move, and re-entering the industry in one of its toughest seasons.

We dig into how she rebuilt WeConsult after stepping away to have kids, what’s changed in the agency landscape since 2023, and why she’s now staying higher-level as a fractional ops leader instead of getting buried in implementation. Melanie breaks down what healthy leadership actually looks like, why so many founders remain the bottleneck even after hiring “senior” people, and how clear ownership, scorecards, and trust change everything.

We also get tactical: what she looks for first in the financials, the operational metrics that matter most, and why agencies without documented processes are struggling the most with AI adoption. We wrap by talking about leading through uncertainty, avoiding burnout, and the simple practice Melanie uses to remind herself of the value she’s creating—plus her very 90s go-to karaoke song.

Key Bytes
• Clean financials and clear reporting are the true foundation of scalable ops
• Workflow ownership matters — if it’s nobody’s job, it’s nobody’s job
• Founders stay bottlenecks when leadership has no autonomy or scorecards
• Agencies with documented systems adopt AI faster (and with fewer messes)
• Strong leadership = trust, clarity, and shared problem-solving
• Self-care and boundaries are essential for sustainable agency ownership

Chapters
00:01 Intro and how Melanie rebuilt WeConsult after kids and a cross-country move
02:48 Stepping away from client work, losing momentum, and clawing back into a changed industry
05:36 Why Melanie now stays high-level and pushes implementation to internal teams and automation
07:42 Founders as bottlenecks and what a truly strong leadership team looks like
11:15 Ego, scale, and the operational shifts required for owners to get out of the way
15:36 Where Melanie starts operationally: financials, workflows, and clear ownership
18:07 The agency financial metrics that actually matter (profitability, cash, utilization, and more)
22:03 Why documented systems are the key to successful AI adoption (and how messy it gets without them)
26:00 Leading through uncertainty, rebuilding a business, and protecting your own wellbeing
28:38 AI note-takers, imposter syndrome, and Melanie’s “value” practice
31:36 Melanie’s 90s karaoke pick and where to learn more about WeConsult

Melanie Chandruang is the Founder of WeConsult and a Strategic Operations Partner for creative agencies. With over 15 years in the industry, she helps agency owners boost profits, streamline operations, and move big initiatives forward so they can focus on growth and what matters most.

Connect with Melanie on their website.

Ep 138 – Jordan Snider, Token Creative – The impact of integrating Ignition App

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off!

Featuring: Jordan Snider, Token Creative

In episode 138, I sit down with Jordan Snider, co-founder and CTO of Token Creative Services, to break down the real impact of integrating Ignition App into their agency operations. Jordan shares how Token went from scattered proposals, manual invoices, and nearly $40k in aging AR to a streamlined, single-system workflow that clients actually appreciated.

We dig into the operational before/after: centralized proposals and agreements, automated billing, faster close rates, clearer scope definition, easier upsells and renewals, and the elimination of unbilled “mystery hours.” Jordan also talks about forecasting clarity — and why dashboards that tie proposals, renewals, and revenue projections together are a game changer for decision-making.

This episode is a grounded look at what happens when an agency stops tolerating a duct-taped sales and billing process and finally upgrades the operational spine of the business.

Key Bytes
• Token’s breaking point was nearly $40k in aging AR — a clear sign the proposal and billing process was broken.
• Clients were confused by multiple proposal versions, scattered contracts, and manual payments; consolidating everything through Ignition simplified the entire client experience.
• The biggest financial lift came from capturing previously unbilled variable hours and out-of-scope work.
• Automated reminders and stored payment methods dramatically reduced AR and manual follow-up.
• Forecasting became easier with visible open proposals, renewal pipelines, and year-over-year revenue projections.
• Simplifying the tech stack cut both software cost and constant integration maintenance.
• Ignition enabled Token to shift from hourly pricing to value-driven retainers because operations finally supported it.
• Jordan’s advice: delaying this overhaul guarantees regret — proactively fixing it avoids the forced crisis moment.

Chapters
00:00 Intro and why Token’s Ignition story matters
02:05 Token’s early days and “brute force” agency ops
03:10 The $40k AR wake-up call
05:10 What was broken in their proposal + onboarding workflow
06:55 Client reactions after switching to Ignition
07:50 Close rates, renewals, and handling scope creep
09:40 Capturing unbilled work and shrinking AR
11:55 Forecasting and metrics that changed decision-making
14:00 Simplifying the tech stack and ditching integrations
16:40 How clarity improved both scope and service delivery
23:40 Productizing services and shifting to retainers
25:05 Jordan’s advice for agencies resisting the overhaul
26:50 Rapid fire and wrap-up

Jordan Snider is the Co-Founder and CTOof Token Creative Services, a full-service digital marketing and creative agency based in Kitchener-Waterloo. With a background in full-stack software engineering, Jordan bridges the gap between technical development and creative marketing. He has contributed personal reflections to platforms supporting victims of family violence, discussing the unique stressors faced by newcomers and the importance of community support systems.

His work reflects a blend of technical precision and a commitment to social impact, aligning with Token Creative’s mission to support businesses making positive environmental or social changes.

Connect with Jordan on their website, or learn more about Ignition here.

Ep 137 – Jennifer Spire, Preston Spire – Built to Last: The 75-Year Agency Still Breaking Rules

Featuring: Jennifer Spire, Preston Spire

In episode 137, I sit down with Jennifer Spire, Partner and CEO of Preston Spire — a 75-year-old agency that’s somehow still pushing boundaries while many newer shops flame out. Jennifer shares how she modernized a legacy company without losing the cultural DNA that kept it alive for three-quarters of a century. We get into leadership transitions, building a values-driven agency, navigating generational shifts in talent, and how she’s shaping the next era of a Midwest powerhouse.

Key Bytes
• The hidden advantages legacy agencies have but often ignore
• Why values act as a competitive moat — but only if they’re enforced
• How Jennifer leads change without blowing up culture
• The reality of modernizing 75-year-old processes
• Where agencies underestimate the work of staying relevant

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:20 What it means to run a 75-year-old agency today
05:05 How Jennifer modernized Preston Spier without breaking it
09:40 The cultural DNA that actually drives retention
13:55 Why “values” only matter when leaders enforce them
17:48 Leadership evolution: from partner to CEO
21:30 What younger talent expects from an established shop
25:18 Staying relevant in a fast-changing industry
29:55 How Preston Spire balances legacy and innovation
33:42 Advice Jennifer wishes she had earlier
38:10 Closing thoughts

Jennifer Spire is partner and CEO at Preston Spire, an Ad Age Best Place to Work and Midwest Small Agency of the Year. She is an accomplished agency leader with over 25 years of experience in both consumer and B2B marketing for just about every industry out there. At Preston Spire, Jennifer has played the leading role in reshaping the framework that defines the agency, focused on a strong vision, values and purpose. She has been a speaker at dozens of local and national conferences, has authored articles and thought pieces on various marketing subjects, and has been a board member of several nonprofit organizations. Jennifer was an east coast native before calling Minneapolis home. She was an NCGA gymnast and a gymnastics coach, who also had advertising in her blood, thanks to her grandfather being one of the founding fathers of Madison Avenue.

Contact Jennifer on LinkedIn or the Preston Spire website.

Ep 136 – JP Holecka, Power Shifter Digital – Building the AI-Driven Agency: Lessons from Power Shifter’s Evolution

Featuring: JP Holecka, Power Shifter Digital

In episode 136, I sit down with JP Holecka, founder and CEO of Power Shifter Digital, a Vancouver-based agency leading the shift toward AI-driven digital products and content creation. With over 30 years of experience in design, film, and technology, JP has guided multiple teams through successful AI rollouts—transforming workflows, scaling creativity, and redefining how digital agencies deliver value.

We talk about what it really takes to evolve your agency for the AI era, how to navigate the culture shift that comes with automation, and why embracing AI is less about replacing people and more about amplifying what they’re capable of.

KEY BYTES
• AI isn’t replacing creativity—it’s amplifying it
• True transformation starts with changing workflows, not job titles
• The most successful AI rollouts start with internal adoption before client delivery
• Leadership has to model curiosity and experimentation
• Agencies that treat AI as a tool, not a threat, are finding their competitive edge

SHOW REFERENCES

Access JP's AI Miro Board referenced in the episode here. PW: cleardigital

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
02:01 JP’s background and the evolution of Power Shifter
06:32 The first AI experiments that changed everything
10:45 Getting team buy-in and overcoming initial skepticism
14:58 Building processes around AI rather than forcing it in
|20:10 Human creativity in the age of automation
25:36 How AI has changed client expectations
31:12 Leadership lessons from scaling an AI-driven agency
36:45 The next frontier of digital work
40:30 JP’s advice for agency founders starting their AI journey
43:00 Rapid Fire Questions

JP Holecka is the founder and CEO of Power Shifter Digital, a Vancouver-based agency leading the shift toward AI-driven digital products and content creation. With over 30 years of experience in design, film, and technology, JP has guided multiple agencies through successful AI rollouts—transforming workflows, scaling creativity, and redefining how teams collaborate with generative tools.

Contact JP on the PowerShifter website or on LinkedIn.